I went to "Batman Begins" Sunday at the local multi-plex, not really knowing what to expect. My ten year old son picked the movie, with mom paying the way. To me, Batman ranges from the campy "Batman" TV series of my own youth, to mildly interesting movies in the 1980s and 90s, to the very elegant "Batman" animated series.

What I didn't expect was a political allegory.

Gotham City has been bled dry by scheming crony capitalism and narco-political crime bosses (Read: the Bush/Cheney/Haliburton cabal).  What had saved it in the past was Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) rich parents and their murder in front of young Bruce about 15 years earlier (Read: typically well intentioned but soft brained liberalism).

A shadowy, League of Shadows (Read: Religious Rightwingers) wants to reconstitute--through any means necessary--Gotham City (Read: Multicultural society).  The group views Gotham as irretrievably evil--and they concoct a scheme to turn the city upon itself, as, the group says, they have done in the past to London on other cities through history.  Recruited by the cult, Bruce Wayne/Batman rejects their unyielding dogma and decides to save his hometown from itself (Read: compassionate though tough-minded FDR/Truman-like liberalism).

Batman is a one man wrecking crew, taking on first the mob and working his way up the crony capitalism food chain.  He enlists equally good but determined people such as Rachel (Katie Holmes), his childhood sweetheart and now an incorruptible assistant states attorney and Sgt. Gordon (Gary Oldman in one of his few roles as a good guy), the good and honest cop who consoled him when his parents were murdered.

Batman, unlike many of my fellow liberals, did not eschew violence or doing the tough and difficult work of kicking narco capitalists' butts and taking names and doing the dirty work of ACTUALLY making a difference.

The movie is obviously also just good motion picture fun. 

But still, what this liberal took away was the line that Rachel uses on Bruce Wayne, the apparent playboy and bon vivant, after an embarrassing episode by the billionaire who protests he's really a decent person: "It's not who you are underneath, but what you *do* that defines you."

Exactly.

Fellow Democrats, are you listening?  We are great at thinking great and good thoughts.  But what about action?  Difficult action that calls for tough choices, hard work, and maybe not being liked by all?

Let Batman be our guide.